Ryo's Musings
by Maya Beebop
Summary: When Spike goes out to capture a bounty, he doesn't know he's also out to catch a new member of the Bebop...
1. Down The Rio Grande

Spike looked out the window as he listened to Jet talk.

"And we've been friends since before I had the BeBop. She'll be in town tonight and I'm going to meet her. So don't blow the ship up."

"What, Jet? Are you afraid we won't be here when you get back?" Faye smiled seductively. 

"No, I just want order. And that means you, too, Ed." Jet looked over his shoulder at the girl who was rampaging around the Internet.

"Okedoky artichokey!" Ed grinned from behind her goggles.

"I'm off. Ryo's probably already there waiting for me. Spike, why don't you get a head start on that Lopez guy? Worth thirty thousand Woolongs."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get right on it." Spike sighed, not taking his eyes off the window as he stretched.

Jet left, and Faye got more and more restless.

"I gotta get out of here. Wanna come, Spike? We can go down to the casinos…"

"Nah, I got the next bounty for food on the table. Unless you have some money you're not telling us about?" Spike looked at her with one eye.

She put up her hands and smiled with her eyes closed. "Nope! Heh-heh…" she replied uncertainly.

Spike shooed her off. "Fine then. Go. I'll see you later." Spike then got up and walked towards the ship bay.

Faye watched him go and shrugged. "Men. Never get interested in them, Ed. Ed?" She looked over the couch.

Ed sat, totally engrossed in her online game. Chess, it seemed.

"Feeling bad since the guy beat you?"

Ed nodded. "Faye-Faye's right. Ed wants to win again!" Ed then made her final move; checkmate.

"Well, I'll see you later, Ed. I'm going gambling." Faye waved and left.

***

Jet came back after awhile and greeted Ed.

"How's it going, Ed? Ryo's out and about again. She's after another bounty tonight. Said she'd catch up with me later."

Ed never fazed from her game. "SHHH! Ed is about to win!" Checkmate again. She was on a role.

Jet shrugged and went to trim his bonsai trees.

***

Spike sat in a club, smoking a cigarette and sipping a beer. In front of him, in the oriental/retro bar, sat Diego Lopez. He looked laid-back, even comfortable. But how could any guy be comfortable after mass murdering an entire colony and having a thirty thou bounty on his head?

Music started up, and on a nearby platform a female figure rose, dressed in the traditional Japanese kimono and headdress. The music was slow and romantic at first, and then became robust and enchanting as the girl spun around and danced with fans and bells.

But Spike noticed at all the while that the girl, no matter what direction she faced, always had one eye on Lopez. Funny…

Then, the music paused and came back on full blow rock. The girl, stopping, lifted her kimono and flung it off to reveal that underneath, she was wearing a tight, white sports top and baggy black cargo pants. She took up her fans and flung them out into the audience comprised of mostly men. Spike saw in a flash that the edges of the fans were silvery, sharpened blades! The men in the way ducked, and she began her _real_ moves.

She pulled from god-know-where another pair of fans and proceeded to catapult them towards Lopez and his large group of bodyguards. Chaos reigned, and she drew out a pair of leather whips.

Ensnaring groups of men at once, she brought them together with crashes and cracks. They slammed into walls and tables as people scurried and scramble for the exits. Spike included.

Spike made his way to the doors and watched as Lopez got out and sprinted down the hallway. The girl, leaping over and on men, got out and started running down the hallway. Spike, already halfway to Lopez, stopped and leaned up against a wall. 

He and she locked eyes for just a second as she passed him. His mouth hung open in disbelief as she played a small smirk. Time seemed to slow down. The moment was infinite.

Then, the clock started moving again. She sped up, and finally disappeared around a corner in the hallway. Spike followed fast, then faster.

He rounded a corner to see Lopez stretched out lifeless at the end of the hall. The figure was faint in the dim light, but he could tell it was Diego. Spike made for him.

Suddenly, when he was just ten feet from the bounty, a throwing-star whipped out and implanted itself in the wooden wall not three inches from Spike's nose. He stopped, then looked in the star's direction.

In a small alcove near the roof, the girl perched. She grinned, and he understood that the smile meant: "Back off. That's _my_ bounty head."

Spike could only watch in pure amazement as she picked the unconscious man up, lifted him onto her shoulders, and blew a hole in the roof with a gun.

"See ya, space cowboy." She grinned, and then leapt up and out. When Spike dashed over and looked through the orifice, he could see nothing but the starry night sky.

***

The crew was gathered in the meeting room of the BeBop.

"Well Spike, what did ya get for us?" Jet started.

"Nothing. Someone else beat me to him." Spike was looking out of the window again and shrugged.

"Nothing!? What are we going to _eat_ now? I suppose we cook_ Ein_?" Faye said, upstarting.

Jet sighed. "No, we do _not_ eat Ein. Besides, we've gotten through hard times before. We'll do it again. Anyway, I've got good news. You know how I said I was meeting my friend Ryo? Well, I invited her to stay here, on the BeBop!" he proclaimed happily.

"WHAT?! We have hardly enough food as it is, Jet! And now you go bringing MORE mouths to feed on here? Come ON!" Faye was hysterical.

"Now don't worry. We'll be fine. She's one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy."

"That's probably not saying much." Spike sighed,

"That IS saying much, Spike. Number two on the List." Jet retorted.

"What list?"

Ed piped in. "THE list, Spike! The official galaxy Hunter's List. Top people in every system, right?" She looked at Jet.

He laughed. "That's right, Ed."

Spike leaned over and looked at Ed's screen. There it was, with the name Ryo River Hondura right near the top, second only to some guy named Roundup Ralph.

"It's really not that big a deal to me, but it's saying something about my reputation." A voice behind them all startled them.

They all turned around and beheld the new member. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Big smile. Peace sign fingers displayed on one hand, other hand resting on her hip. White sports top. Baggy black pants.

Spike did a double take and stared. "That's HER! The one who got Lopez!" He pointed for Jet and Faye to see.

She was equally surprised, but didn't show it so physically. "Well, like they say, first-come, first-serve!" she laughed.

No doubt about it, this was one butterfly they wouldn't be able to pin.


	2. See You In The Trenches

"What've ya got?" Jet asked Ryo, who was leaning over the computer with a puzzled expression.

"Hmm, it say here that J. J. Astker was a former marine, naval manager, and army private. He's got big training. He'll be a tough one." She looked over her shoulder.

Spike looked over, opening only one eye. "So what? We've taken down guys like this before. It's all a matter of setting traps."

Faye grinned. "We'll have him before you can say 'Gotcha!'"

Jet leaned against the wall and scoffed, with his exasperated expression on. "You know it won't be that easy. This guy's got mental problems. He seems to think he's still in a war or something. His hideout's all the way, the whole nine yards. It's a trench, bomb shelter, radio house, everything a good encampment needs. And you can't starve him out either. Rumor has it that he's got enough food to last him two years," he inserted.

Ryo snapped her fingers. "Then let's _give_ him a war! We'll all gang up on him!"

Spike tut-tutted. "Yeah, right. And before that, let's all go dress like chickens and dance out in the middle of the hypergate. What're _you_ thinking?" he said, upstarting. He leaned forward and glared at her.

"I'm thinking grenades, machine guns, anything to get him outta there. All _we_ have to do is wait. And twenty million Woolongs isn't something to cough at. At this rate, we'll be bringing in the small fries for ten Woolongs apiece of we keep this aloof attitude up." Ryo reprimanded.

"Well then, let's get on it." Spike stood up and walked towards the ship bay as Faye followed. Suddenly, she turned back and looked at Ryo with a smile.

"You got guts, girl. Now let's tie up that bounty! Wheeyoo!" Faye leapt into the air and put one arm up and the other one on her hip, like some schoolgirl.

Ryo and Jet just stared as Faye bounded off the corridor and disappeared.

***

Spike sat in the corner of the bar, watching out of the corner of his eye. He could see Ryo, next to J. J. She was drinking slowly.

He also saw Jet, leaning up against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Faye was covering the door. There was no way their bounty could escape.

Or so they thought.

Ryo then made her move. She flipped out a gun and shoved the barrel up against the underside of Astker's chin. He never faltered. He just brought up his hand, snapped her wrist, grabbed the gun, and stood up, his eyes darting for the exit.

No dice. Faye stood, menacing as she could, with a machine gun clutched in her hand and aimed straight for him. He ducked.

A volley of bullets cascaded through the air as he threw his entire weight against her legs. She fell, and he snapped out of the building. Jet followed, but didn't shoot.

"Jet! What the hell are you doing?! Shoot him!" Faye screamed at him as she was getting up.

Ryo, holding her broken wrist in pain, approached Spike, who was standing in the doorway. "Damn bloody bastard knows jiu-jitsu."

"He's not going far. He's holed himself up in the top story of an apartment building not far from here." Jet had just walked in and helped Faye up.

"Well, let's _get him_!!!" Ryo braced herself.

***

They were on a stakeout. Spike covering the corner of the hallway, Jet on the other corner, Faye behind the door, and Ryo hanging from the ceiling. 

Spike looked at Ryo. This was the position he had first gotten words out of her. She seemed to be like a spider. Ed loved her, after all. They were constantly helping each other hack into one place or another.

They heard a noise on the other side of the door. Everyone snapped to attention, and watched. The door opened a crack and the muzzle of a gun could be seen.

_Blam! Blam! Blam!_ The gun went off three times, and the plaster was blown in. The paint was singed. 

Spike leapt out and fired into the crack in the door. A muffled curse was heard, and the hunters knew Spike had nailed J. J.'s shooting hand.

They all rushed in and observed the scene. A bulletproof wall of glass surrounded the entire room, and in the center was a duck blind hideout covered in mail. A single gun was visible from the small opening, yet was being handled shakily. Spike, Jet, and Ryo let fly a line of bullets.

Faye stood in the door, looking around. Suddenly, she screamed and fired at a blank wall.

"What the hell's the matter with you? Faye?! He's over _here_!" Jet screamed at her while recovering over and over again from kickback.

"No he's not! That's just some kind of distraction! _There's the guy!!!_" she returned.

They all turned around and say J. J. Astker himself, grinning maliciously from behind a loaded

machine gun. "You thought you all had me. But it's _me_ who has _you_ now. Heh-heh, now you'll all die in

the field. See you in the trenches, comrades!" And he let fly.

Spike fell with a bullet in his arm. The bullets bounced off Jet's metal arm as he blasted away at

the crazed ex-military sergeant. Faye and Ryo had already taken cover and shot at Astker from behind the

blind. 

Finally, he fell. His arms and legs riddled with scrapes and a few implanted bullets, J. J. Astker

fell to the floor of his impenetrable base. The crew of the BeBop gathered around, or as much as they

could. Spike still lay on the floor, groaning in pain. Ryo was holding her wrist gingerly.

"D-d-damn you all…" J. J. croaked out before falling unconscious on the floor.

***

Later, Spike sat on the couch, being bandaged by Jet.

"Oh, stop whining. Ryo took it better than you did. See?" Jet reprimanded Spike, and motioned

towards the girl, who was now in a wrist cast and helping Ed the best she could with one hand.

"Ryo helps Ed! We'll find that stupid Mungo Matt on the net and get all his cash!" Ed smiled and

did a little dance.

"You WHAT?! Ryo, please tell me that you haven't been _stealing_ from people to _eat_?!" Jet

looked on as Spike touched the bandage softly and looked on.

"Just from people who owe me some cash." She smiled uncertainly.

"Great. While you're at it, take whatever that Astker had. He's got no family and we could

certainly use it." Spike grinned at Ryo, and she returned the favor with pleasure.


	3. History

"Hey Spike? Can we talk?"

Spike looked up at Ryo. She was looking a bit conservative today, even embarrassed to be asking him; like a child who was asking her parent if she could watch them do something that really wasn't that important to the parent, but meant the world to the child.

"Sure. Have a seat." He motioned to the couch seat next to him."

"I know you've been really down these past few days. And I know why. It's Julia, isn't it?"

He looked up in suppressed surprise. How could she know about Julia?

"I worked with Julia before I…left the Syndicate. I knew her pretty well. Well enough to know that you two used to be an item. I didn't recognize you when we first met, but when I learned your name, it all clicked." Ryo was looking down at her hands now. "It hit me pretty hard when I heard, but I can't even imagine how it must've hurt you."

"You worked in the Syndicate?" Spike tried to steer towards less sensitive areas.

"Yeah. But when your family is butchered right in front of your eyes by the same group you work with, it kinda changes your opinion about your job choice." She looked up, and Spike saw that her eyes were misty.

"Sorry." 

"Don't be. It's not your fault. But it _is_ Vicious'. You're not the only one who wants that guy's head on a pike." Ryo was becoming defiant.

"How'd you know that?" Spike was appalled. He didn't know it, but he had something for this girl. Something quite similar to what he had for Julia.

"Jet. Sorry Spike, but when you live at close quarters for a couple of months, nothing is private anymore. He kinda dropped a hint or two and I kept at him." Ryo shrugged sadly.

"It's ok."

She stood up. "Well, thanks for listening to _my_ story, and if you ever want to talk and know that

none of these guys will understand you, you've got my ear." Ryo smiled and walked out, leaving Spike to his memories and fantasies.


	4. The Last Hurrah Part One

Ryo lay stretched out over the couch; relaxed yet taunt. She was in Spike's usual position, but since he was out drinking or getting through a hangover, she had it all to herself. Ed sat typing away, as usual, surfing the net for locked information. Ein yawned and planted himself on Ryo's lap.

"Oof!" Ryo bounced lightly with Ein's weight so suddenly added to her own on the couch.

"Lookie-lookie what Ed found!" The teenager pointed to her screen, leaning over backwards and grinning her head off. You could almost see her eyes smiling behind those green goggles.

Ryo got up and leaned forward. She turned down the volume on Bounty Hunter's Round Up and looked at the computer screen.

On it, she could see the picture of one Bobby "Butcher" Hodgekins. Information on him listed on the side of the mug shot. 

"Hey, look at that bounty! Three hundred million Woolongs! Why isn't _he_ on the show?" Ryo looked back at the screen, where they were scrolling down a list of freeloaders worth nothing more than a thousand apiece.

"Dunno, but I suggest you take it. We've got nothing in the fridge, and we haven't for weeks. He doesn't look so tough." Faye appeared in the doorway and leaned forward to see the picture.

"Alright. Wanna come?" Ryo offered.

"Nah! I've still gotta take a shower and find something to eat, even though there's nothing here. Maybe I'll jet down to a bar…" Faye walked off.

"See ya later, Ed! Ein!" Ryo suited up and loaded herself into her ship, the _Firebird_.

***

"Where's Ryo?" Jet walked in and found Faye on the couch, relaxing.

"Off after a bounty. Big one, too. Three hundred mill." She didn't even open her eyes.

"Really?! Who?" Spike had just entered the room.

Ed popped up from behind the couch, scaring everyone there. "Ryo went to find the Butcher!" She started cackling.

"Who?" Jet hesitated with a twinge of fear.

"Bobby 'Butcher' Hodgekins. She's gone!" Ed went back down to play with Ein.

"I sent her. She was bored and wanted some action." Faye stretched out and yawned.

"Oh my god! You didn't! That's The Butcher! The only reason his bounty is so high is because no hunter has ever survived his warehouse! He calls it 'The Slaughterhouse'! AND YOU SENT HER!!!???" Jet was bellowing in disbelief as the three other crewmembers looked on in fear and terror.

"Ohhh Jet…if I had only known!" Faye held her head in her hands.

"Alright, we have to work fast. Ryo has no idea, so we'll have to catch her. Spike, you can get there the fastest. Go! Now!"

"Gotcha." He bolted down the hallway towards the bay.

"And you-…" Jet turned to Faye. "You get on the comm and try to get her attention."

She was on there before he finished the sentence. "Ryo? RYO! Please, you have to be on!" Faye was shaking the microphone.

Jet just stood by, watching…waiting…and hoping.


	5. The Last Hurrah Part Two

Ryo was strolling the streets of Mars, looking for what she heard to be "The Butcher's" favorite watering hole. She stepped in a small bar on a back street and saw the back of his head. Ryo smirked and raised her gun.

Spike burst in just as she pulled the trigger. "Wait! Ryo, don't!" But it was too late.

The bullet missed Bobby and he took less than a second to analyze the situation. From the side that the two bounty hunters couldn't see, he grinned and whipped up. He dashed out a back door into an alley before they could move. Ryo was following behind in a second.

She dashed through the alleys, splashing up puddles and stagnant pools of waste. Spike tried his hardest to catch up, but no matter how fast he could run straight out, he couldn't match her turns.

When he finally caught a glimpse of her, she was smiling faintly and whipping into a warehouse door, cannon blasters cocked and ready.

_The Slaughterhouse._

He dashed up and threw/shoved the door all the way open. He looked on as she dashed into the very center of the room, and by jumping back and forth, nailing gunmen like ninepins. Streaks of white-hot metal streaked her shoulders and legs, yet none really hitting her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Spike.

She grinned and turned back.

He leapt out and started firing, adopting her way of evasive maneuvers. Like her, he was never hit, just grazed. They were now back-to-back, firing like mirrors. When one shot, the other simultaneously let fly. Until Spike was hurt.

The bullet was in his arm. He fell, and as Ryo let out a gasp, he dragged himself out of the firing line and rested against a metal casing. She was out there all alone, yet was backed by Spike who still had enough energy to fire.

Ryo had now dropped her cannon blasters and pulled out semi-automatics. Men fell and dropped and tried vainly to shoot this opaque yet ghostly entity that would not fall under their shots.

But out of their line of vision, a man, shrouded in darkness, raised a gun.

Ryo kept at it, felling men like trees. She was having quite the time of it.

The man grinned. He wasn't known as "The Butcher" for nothing.

She was hopping around, like an excited child on Christmas morning surrounded by toys.

He brought the gun into focus.

Too late, Spike noticed the man. "Ryo! Look out!"

But it was in vain. The gun went off, and fired straight into Ryo's back.

The moments drifted like molasses. From Spike's eyes, it was Julia all over again. Ryo's surprised expression etched itself into his heart forever. She fell slowly, silently. The time stopped.

Spike saw the two women, like reflections. Both the same look on their face. The guns falling and clanking to earth. The hair billowing behind. 

The clock started to tick again. Spike groaned and fired at Bobby. A scream resounded through the darkened warehouse.

Spike raced over and held the dying Ryo in his arms. She couldn't talk, only smiled, a small line of blood trickling down her cheek. Her arms, scraped and bleeding from the bullets, lay lifelessly at her sides as Spike lifted her head and tears appeared at the corners of his eyes.

Likewise Ryo.

She finally gasped out, "S-S-Spike, do you think, if we met earlier, that we could have…have…"

_Rocco_, he thought. "Yeah, Ryo. Yeah." Tears were streaming down his face now.

She lifted her hand and wiped them away. Ryo smiled, one of pure contentment strained through lines of pain. Then, she took her last breath.

Ryo sank in Spike's arms. No one was left to mar the scene.

_See ya space cowgirl…_


End file.
